Method for seismic surveying



May 25, 1943. E.; SHIMEK 2,320,248

- METHOD FOR sEIsMIc sURvEYING Filed Jan. '7, 1942 l ma! atented May 25, 1943 ME'rnop ron sErsMIc sunvurmc Edwin J. Shimek, Dallas, Tex., assgnor to Socony- Vacuum Uil Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January v, 1942, serial No. 425,821

(ci. isi-0.5)

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of geophysical zprospecting and more particularly to a reflection method of seismic survey.

The methods almost universally practised heretofore in conducting` geophysical surveys by the reectio'n seismic method have utilized a single explosive charge for the creation of seismic waves in the earths surface that are to be recorded on a particular spread by a plurality of geophones. Such an impulse delivered tothe earths surface would create a complex train of waves having no frequency discrimination, resulting in a wide band of frequencies being transmitted through the earth to the detecting instruments.

It is an object of this invention to emphasize selected narrow bands of frequencies -by delivering a series of successive impulses to the earths surface at, a definite rate to create a train of waves of emphasized selected narrow bands of frequencies which can be amplified after detection by a critically tuned amplifier, integrated, and recorded in coordination with time.

In the prior art, the McCollum patent, Number 1,899,970 and the Verhees patent, Number 2,064,451 disclose methods and apparatus for seismic prospecting which utilize respectively, a number of spaced charges that are fired successively at a predetermined rate to emphasize reflected waves that are detected simultaneously by a single detecting device, and a plurality of charges of explosives which have been substantially vertically spaced and detonated simultaneously to produce a sustained wave having approximately constant amplitude for a considerable number of cycles.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a method for controlling the width of the hand or bands of frequencies thatit is desired to emphasize by varying the number of impulses applied to the earths surface.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an illustration of a square top wave or impulse such as that delivered to the earths surface by the detonation of a single charge of explosives;

Figure 2 is a curve which has been plotted with relative amplitude as ordinates and frequency as abscissae showing the component frequencies contained in a square top wave or impulse;

Figure 3 shows a steady-state rectangular wave which has been plotted with amplitude as ordi- 'nates and time as abscissae;

Figure 4 is an illustration of the discrete frequencies produced by a continuous series of pulses;

Figure 5 shows a steady-state rectangular wave representing the application of, for example, nine impulses per second to the earths surface; and

Figure 6 is a curve showing the frequency distribution of components in a nine-pulse wave.

Referring to the drawing in detail, an impulse; such as would be delivered to the earths surface by the detonation of a single charge of explosives can be represented as shown in Figure 1, by a square top wave which hasv been plotted with amplitude as ordinates and time as abscissae. This wave by Fourier integral analysis can be broken down into a frequency spectrum as shown in Figure 2.

Representing the fundamental frequency by fn, and the harmonics by 2in, 3ft, 4in, 5in, etc., it can be seen that in the vicinity of fo and the odd harmonies, that the energy in the components is relatively large, while in the vicinity of the even harmonics the frequency components become zero.

The analysis of this square top wave utilizing both the building-up portion of the impulse applied at a time T1 and the dying down portion applied at a time T2 is well known in the communication art as shown in Sheas book on Transmission Networks and Wave Filters, and is as follows:

This Wave, as disclosed by Figure 1, is composed of one wave changing in amplitude from -A/2 to -l-A/2 at a time t=T1 and another that changes from +A/2 to -A/Z at a time t=Tz.

Therefore this combined wave contains no unidirectional energy. The total pulse is represented by But Call Tn-Ti the half period, and let its frequency be fo, then l T2T1= whence, by substitution in (3), a factor is obtained f f 2 -2- le-2 sin 2 wu Multiplying this factor by 2 sin then Equation 3 cociiicients become 1/5 cesem- (s) where fo=wo/21r is the fundamental frequency.

The coeiiclents of the components at the frequencies 0, fn, 3fo, 5fa, etc., are

A A 2* s 5; 9"-

and when plotted will appear as shown in Figure 4.

That these coemcients are in the same ratios as those of the infinitesimal components at the same frequencies in a single pulse is shown in Figure 2. Assume a single impulse to be timed to occur in such a manner that its curve will lie symmetrical to the vertical axis, then where T/2=T2T1 is the period of duration of the pulse, and the components of the impulse are distributed as shown in Figure 2.

Additionally, assume the number of impulses per second to be increased to three spaced symmetrically with the vertical axis. This train of impulses then has an instantaneous amplitude alecm-s) X[cos w(i+T)i-cos :cH-cos wU--THdw (8) since 2 sin sin =g Sill (9) is the same for each pulse of the train, and the instant Tri-Ti 2 of Equation 3 for each pulse corresponds to -'l 0, and +T, respectively. Then since v cos m (t-i-TH-cos w (-T)=2 cos wt cos wT, (1(

Equation 8 becomes This expression for the train of three puls: diiers from Equation 7 for one pulse in that tt coecients of the components are, for each fr( quency, multiplied by the value of thc factor f l l 2 cos 21rf0 which when plotted Wouldshow that the comp( nents in the vicinity of 0, fo, 3io, 5in, etc. stand o1 much more strongly than they do in the curi shown in Figure 2.

For a limited number of pulses delivered to tl earths surface per second. for example, nine, frequency spectrum is obtained which will lie bi tween the single pulse case illustrated in Figure and the steady-state case illustrated in Figure and is illustrated in the drawing by Figure 6.

By increasing the number of impulses in tl train to nine per second, instead of three, ar assume that the pulses are spaced symmetrical with the vertical axis, then four Vand one-ha pulses occur prior to the time t=0, and four ar one-half pulses occur subsequent to it. For pu` pose of illustration, the train of nine impulses considered to be made up of groups of three in pulses. Then the central group will be given l Equation 11 and the others differing therefro only in that there is substituted (1H-3T) for t the i'irst train and t--BT for t in the last trai Then and the frequency distribution of the componer differs from that of the three-pulse train only that the components are., for each frequency multiplied by the factor 1 +2 cos offfn This factor is identical With'that for a thre pulse group, except that it alternates three tim as rapidly with changes in frequency By plotting the Equation 14, a curve is obtain as illustrated in Figure 6. From this curve can be seen, nrst, that the greater amplitudes frequency component in the vicinity of the c multiples of fu, as compared to those of the single impulses. are made possible by the larger amount of energy contained by the nine-pulses.

It will be noted that the amplitude of the components in the vicinity of the odd harmonic frequencies is increased and the maximum amplitude of the bands are proportional to the number of pulses. The amplitudes at the other frequencies decrease as the number of pulses are increased.

A second observation to be noted from the curves shown in Figures 2 and 6 is that the width of each frequency band becomes smaller in proportion to the rate of increase of impulses per second.

From the above explanation it is apparent to those skilled in the art that by employing a string of powder charges and detonating them progressively at substantially the same point at a predetermined rate to produce a series of impulses,l

wave bands of selected frequency can be emphasized while the amplitude of the other frequencies is decreased.

It is proposed to employ detecting means that will consist of instruments tuned to these selected bands of frequencies in the neighborhood of fo, 3ft, 5ft, etc., and a means for integrating a series of pulses into a single pulse. The receiving systems should be sharply tuned for two important reasons, one of which is that the excluded lowest frequency band contains the surface dise turbances, such as the slow travelling surface waves, wind stray, etc. The second reason is that it may be desirable to vary fo, 3io. fo, etc.

by changing the rate of firing at the shot point and to vary the tuning of the receiving'appa-ratus correspondingly at the receiving end in order to obtain the best reflections from a given horizon.

This system in addition to offering a practical means of approaching the continuous frequency system in that powder and its large potential energy can be used, also provides the advantage over the single impulse method that the energy is localized in rather narrow bands of frequencies and hence' the recording system can be tuned sharply to those bands.

' I claim:

1. In a method of seismic prospecting that comprises creating seismic waves in the earths surface, detecting the Waves after reflection from the interfaces of the substrata by generating corresponding electrical signals and recording the electrical signals in coordination with time -that comprises creating seismic waves in the earths surface by delivering mechanical impulses to the earths surface at a rate that will produce signals having frequencies falling within predetermined narrow wave bands, selectively detecting said signals, electrically integrating the detected signals and recording the resultant signal in coordination with time.

2. A method of seismic prospecting that comprises the steps of detonating a plurality of explosive charges at substantially a common point on or within the surface of the earth at a predetermined rate to create seismic waves having emphasized narrow bands of frequencies, detecting Waves falling within a predetermined narrow band of frequencies at one or more points removed from. the point of creation of the seismic waves, after the seismic waves have been reflected from at least one interface of the sub-strata, integrating the detected waves'to produce signals corresponding to a single impulse, and recording the integrated signal in coordination with time.

EDWIN J. SHIMEK. 

